RIP Wilhelm: August 2003 - June 2006

Kaiser Wilhelm, the hamster who started it all--the first resident of the New York Hamster House, passed away yesterday. He was nearly three years old.



When I found out that he was dead, two supporters of the NYHH were over getting a tour of the place. They were lovely and distracted me, but let me talk about how sad I was too. They took me out to dinner, but then when I came home it really hit me. I put up a little memorial page about him on the NYHH website last night, but it isn't finished. Wilhelm is the hamster I found on the street. He's kind of the head of it all--the sweetest hamster, the best story about why the New York Hamster House is important. Everything. He was my oldest, and most dear hamster and I really did love him. He was friendly, and never ever bit anyone, and was curious and really smart and was a truly great pet. I hope that when people adopt hamsters from the NYHH, they get to bond with their hamster they way I did with Wilhelm. He was with me for two very difficult years of my life, and was there nibbling on his cage and running in his wheel the whole time, and always willing to crawl around on my lap or eat a carrot while I had dinner.

There is so much to say, but I will just say this: I'm really lucky that Wilhelm lived as long as he did, and I was happy to have him with me each and every day. Wilhelm lived a long and happy life.

Baby Names

The NYHH gerbil babies have been named! With the help of my trusty entymologist friend Lorenzo, I sexed* the babies last night and then gave them names.

Pictures to come tonight, as well as website updates (I can only do that from home)... but for now, the names and living arrangements of my gerbil babies:

Mama Belle, who lives with her two daughters, Melanie and Scarlett.

Her three sons, Charles, Rhett, and Ashley, live together in a bachelor pad.

And then her son Clark Gable was adopted this morning by a family from Long Island (along with Friedrich).

If anyone can guess the full names of Mama and her babies, you win a prize!

* Get your mind out of the gutter! Sexing means separating them by gender so that they can't reproduce.

Cleaning and Dancing

I've got guests coming over tomorrow night to adopt some hammies, and to take tours of the NYHH (hi Alan!), so tonight I am bopping around to loud (mostly bad) pop music and cleaning the cages. To be honest, cleaning the hamster and gerbil cages has become a seven day a week job... but tonight I will straighten them all up, and clean about a third of them. Argh.

I also got a very sweet donation in the mail today from a gal who thinks the NYHH is pretty cool. Thanks, Erica!

Lastly, I separated Belle's baby gerbils this past week. One boy and five girls, I think. But I'm having my entymologist friend double check my work tonight on the girls. Just in case. It can't hurt!

Ok, back to cleaning....

Hamster Adoption Bonanza!

Three hamsters were adopted today from the NYHH... which means I only have eighteen thousand left, give or take a few :)

Seriously, though, I'm really excited. They each went home with a wonderful new family, and I know they will all in a truly happy forever home.

Adios, Ophelia!


A Bientot, Banjo!


Auf Wiedersehen, Britt!


Someone also wants to come next week and adopt Friedrich, which makes me really happy because he is SO friendly and good-natured, and he totally deserves an awesome home.

Spread the word, guys, and let's find all of these hamsters some happy homes!

RIP Michael Bloomberg

Ok, I haven't cried yet, but I am really close. My favorite hamster, after Kaiser
Wilhelm, is dead. Michael Bloomberg died some time today while I was at work. Cause this morning, when I left, he was just hopping around the playground, as happy as can be. I have NO idea what happened. And I feel really sad.


Just like the real Michael Bloomberg, my hamster pulled himself up by the bootstraps to become a success. Except, the real MB founded a wildly successful financial company and this MB was rescued from a bucket and went on to thrive in a pink hamster cage.

Sigh.

I blame this all on Dubya.

Today in the Times, there was a picture of GWB and Michael Bloomberg. Dubya clearly jinxed my hamster, which caused him to get sick and die. Stupid president.

In Michael Bloomberg's honor, let's all watch the video of him traipsing around the hamster playground, sniffing the camera, and falling down.

He was so cute. I miss him.

Worst Mom Ever???

So, I was away at a wedding in Milwaukee this weekend. When I got home, I checked in on all of the hamsters and gave them new water and food. Everything was a-ok.

Then later, when I was getting dinner ready, I walked down the hallway and saw something on the floor. I looked closer, and was shocked to see that it was one of Hermione's babies! I picked him or her up--still breathing--and quickly put it back into the cage so the mom could take over. How on earth did she get on the floor? I guess technically, they could fit through the bars in the other part of the cage, but how could they climb there? Did Hermione throw her baby out of the cage?

Anyway, while I was standing there wondering how on earth the baby got onto the floor, I noticed that Hermione was running in the wheel and that it was really noisy. I looked over to see her in the wheel, running at full speed, with two of her babies just bouncing around and under her in the wheel! I immediately put my hand on the wheel to stop it. Eventually she walked out of the wheel, and I opened it up and picked up the babies and put them back into the nest of bedding in the cage.

What the heck is going on with Hermione? First she's pushing babies out the window, then she's tossing them around like they are in the washing machine. I don't want to tell anyone how to do their job, but... um, Hermione? I mean, is this normal mother behavoir?

Also, she had four babies before. I only see three now, but I'm scared to go digging through the cage to find the other one since everything I've read says that I should leave the cage alone and not touch anything.

Advice, anyone?

(PS Gerbils are crazy.)

Math, Schmath.

Here's the math proof:

THIRTY ONE hamsters,

MINUS ONE Baby Mama

PLUS ONE fluffy syrian

PLUS ONE sleek, blonde hamster

MINUS ONE Marie Antoinette

EQUALS...

THIRTY ONE.

All of that action, excitement, cages, transferring--and all in the span of thirteen hours. And I still have thirty one hamsters?!!?!!? Stupid math.

See, last night, a friend of the boy who adopted Josephine came by and adopted Baby Mama. I showed his new mommy how he had his picture in the New York Times, and she was very impressed. Then, this morning, two separate people came by to drop off hamsters, one at 8:35 and one at 8:45. The first hamster is very fluffy and pretty, and kind of light brown and white. The second looks very similar to Baby Mama. Then, on the way from the subway to my office, I stopped by Europan on 8th and 43rd to drop off Marie Antoinette to a boy from Brooklyn.

I'll try and pop up pics and bios tonight of the new guys. Stay tuned!

HamCam, and Hermione's Babies

Two things, NYHH friends, before I ship off to bed:

Thing One: The idea has been brought up of buying and setting up a HamCam, so people online could watch the hamsters do their hamster thing all day long.

If I am going to do this, I will need to raise money to buy a web cam for my mac, which those of you who know me know I will *never* use for personal use since I hate being photographed, let alone videotaped. This would truly be 100% HamCam. The iSight costs $150. Basically, if people think it would be fun, I'd be up for it. The HamCam could "watch" a different hamster all day long, and it would also be interesting to watch the baby hamsters and gerbils grow and develop. But, if not, I'm happy to concentrate on feeding, cleaning cages, etc.

So, what do you think?

Thing Two: Ack, freaking adorable pictures of Hermione's babies.


Here is a picture of the babies the day they were born.


And here they are tonight... three days old!

Oy Vey.

Remember Friedrich and Hermann? The two boy gerbils living together in their spacious cage, after having been found in a box in a trashcan in the park?

I was so proud of me to have taken them in. "You are doing such a good job," I would say to myself.

HAHAHAHA. Until this morning, when my friend Emily noticed that Hermann was actually.... Hermione. And she had babies this morning. A whole litter of 'em. ARGH.

Now I really, really need to adopt some gerbils. Please, spread the word!!!

Adopt Party

I'm thinking of having some THING so that people will adopt a bunch of my hamsters. Like, an adoption party? Or a thing at Petco where people come and see how cute the hamsters are, and fawn all over them, and then take them home. Yeah. What do you guys think?

Also, I need to sex the gerbil babies. I mean, they are teeny tiny, but if I wait too long, what if they copulate and then get pregnant? The NYHH is a no pregnancy zone, ok. So that is not allowed.

Ugh. And Blueberry's eyes are still weird looking. The meds aren't working. I need to call el doctor.

Happy Weekend from the NYHH!

More New Babies

The NYHH residents are waking up, but the NYHH mom is sleepy and going to bed...

But, before I sleep, here's some eye candy for y'all.







Babies, babies, mama, and babies. I love it.

Also, I named the new hamsters: Mama Ophelia, and babies Bjork, Britt, and Beatrix. So cute!

Thing One and Thing Two

Thing One, dear readers, is that we now have HAMSTER TV.

That's right. Courtesy of my dear friend Steve at Magnify Networks, we have a web channel devoted solely to hamster videos. Look over to your right -- both the Hamster TV link and the picture take you to the site. I've uploaded three videos so far: one of Michael Bloomberg, one of the French Ladies, and the cutest one EVER of the new hamster babies. You won't believe how tiny and cute they are! Promise me you'll watch it, ok?

Thing Two, darlings, is that I got a crapload of new gerbils today--a daddy, a grown-up son, a mommy, and her six (I think) newborn babies. They are SO young and small, they look like little newts or something.

Here is one baby, so you can see how small they are:



Here are ALL of the babies. I count two beige and four black, but who knows:




Give or take a few, I have around 25 animals in the NYHH now. Yikes.

Um. Anyone want to adopt a hamster or gerbil?

Incredible, Edible Babies

Ok, so I got five new hamsters today: an uncle, a mom, and three babies.

Check out the babies HERE. They are literally the cutest things EVER. I can't believe how small they are. They are totally bite-sized. And then run in the wheel and everything! I am completely in love with them. Luckily, they are too young to be adopted out yet so I get to keep them for a month or two before they leave me for a forever home.

Here's a teaser:

My Awesome Boys

These guys are SO awesome that I just need to let you know about them.

The first is my amazing vet, Dr. Anthony Pilny, who was profiled on NY1 this weekend.

Click here to read all about how awesome he is.

The second is the man who photographed me and the hamsters for the New York Times article. His name is Tony Stamolis, and he is amazingly talented and kind and (I think) a little bit in love with hamsters now.

Ack, I love 'em both.

And you should too.